


Fireflies

by LizAnn_5869



Series: Prompts and Requests [36]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, Absolute fluff, Bad Wolf Rose Tyler, Child, Established Relationship, F/M, Love, Post-Episode: s01e13 The Parting of the Ways, Pregnancy, daddy!Nine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 00:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7337044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/pseuds/LizAnn_5869
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd never felt something so beautiful in all his many lives as when that timeline (that brand new timeline) clicked into place.   He had never wanted something so much in over nine hundred years.  Joy and terror filled his hearts in equal measures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> For @timepetalsprompts ficlets:  
> It fulfills the "fireflies", "children", and "Daddy!Nine" prompts all at once. This is one of those fics that fell into my head pretty much formed.
> 
> It takes place after the events on the Game Station. The Doctor saved Rose without regenerating. So obviously, it's an AU.

The TARDIS chose a quiet spot, the banks of a bubbling creek in 1800's Indiana, for their respite.

Rose had not felt well for days, and although she was ashamed to ask, she requested a quiet destination and time off from saving the universe. Then she kissed him and rolled back over in their bed and dozed off again.

The Doctor was willing to agree to her request because he knew something Rose hadn't discovered yet. 

He knew it as soon as they kissed. Something was different. And something locked into place, a new timeline, as soon as her lips touched his. He didn't need to spend long examining it. The implications were quite clear.

The Doctor let Rose sleep on. He went out to the grass just beyond the TARDIS door and listened to the brook bubbling, watching the fireflies put on a light show in the trees. There were millions of them, lighting and dimming in a seemingly random patterns. The Doctor was well aware that it wasn't random, that the insects were calling to their mates with a fantastic show of light. Watching the fireflies, he considered what he now knew.

He was glad Rose slept on for the moment, because he needed time to process this new information. He'd never felt something so beautiful in all his many lives as when that timeline (that brand new timeline) clicked into place. He had never wanted something so much in over nine hundred years. Joy and terror filled his hearts in equal measures.

The sound of the water was soothing, and he dared to let his mind drift, to think of the possibilities the future could hold. Not so long ago he'd been prepared to burn through his remaining regenerations as quickly as possible, if he survived the Henrik's explosion. Now he couldn't imagine ever wanting to end it all, because Rose Tyler had saved him. She loved him and he loved her and she brought him back to life in a way no regeneration had ever done before. She was his miracle then. And now, his precious girl had given him a precious gift, and she didn't even know it.

Of course, as the rational part of his mind insisted, it was her decision to do with the information as she pleased. She would be scared, possibly angry. He had no idea how she'd react, if she'd leave him. He desperately hoped she wouldn't leave. But it was a possibility. 

His skin crawled with anxiety and he hoped she'd wake up soon, because he needed to share this with her.

The TARDIS sent out a mental wave of calmness, soothing his mind. She also made him aware that Rose was awake. She'd be coming along soon enough. He waited. His impatience grew and he nearly went in after her. The TARDIS made it clear that he should stay still. By the time he'd given up on waiting several minutes later, the door squeaked open behind him.

Rose stepped out and walked to him. She sank down onto the grass next to him, not looking at him. She was trembling. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, as if anchoring herself in place.

The Doctor's hearts sank. "Rose," he murmured.

The sound of his voice seemed to break whatever control Rose had on her emotions and she began to cry. "You know," she stated.

"I reckon you know, too?" he sighed.

"The TARDIS left me a gift. A test kit. I know why I'm feeling poorly," she whispered in a quavering voice. "I'm pregnant."

"I know," he said in a rush. "I knew when I kissed you earlier. You felt...tasted...different. And I felt the timeline click into place. I'm sorry, Rose, but you were so exhausted, you went back to sleep....."

Rose laughed shakily. "I think I knew, too. You felt....what?"

"The timeline. Ours changing....the baby's forming. I felt it when I kissed you." He kissed her cheek again. "Rose, I know that it's a shock....."

She huffed quiet laughter. "I thought it was impossible."

The Doctor shook his head. "Just...improbable."

Rose stared at the light show playing out in front of her. One small insect flew near her and she stretched out her hand. The firefly landed on her open palm, pausing for several seconds. She watched it light up, silent in her own thoughts. The firefly finally flew off. "I'm terrified," she whispered. 

Terrified wasn't the same as horrified, so the Doctor took solace in that. "Same here, me," he agreed. The Doctor angled his body toward Rose and she looked him in the eye. He was awed by the love he saw there. There was fear there as well, and she spoke in a quavering voice.

"Do you....want to......Are you sending me back to Mum?" She asked.

The Doctor hadn't expected that. "No! No, Rose, why would you even think that?"

"I can't exactly run. Or travel, I would imagine. I'm not exactly useful as a companion now, not the way you want." 

The Doctor was gobsmacked. "Rose, I love you. So much. Those three little human words don't even cover the depth of what I feel for you. You stopped being just a 'companion' long ago. Long before you ever looked into the heart of the TARDIS. Long before I got the nerve up to kiss you and and make love to you. I thought you knew that. I won't send you away. I can't ever again. We're tied together, Rose."

"Then do you want this baby?" she asked. He dared to see hope in her eyes.

"Oh, Rose Tyler, I want this baby," the Doctor assured her. 

She burst into fresh tears again. The Doctor didn't know what to make of the storm of emotion and hormones and love she was giving off. "Rose?" he prompted. "Rose, what are you thinking? I know...it's your decision, your body. You don't need to feel trapped or...feel that you're obligated to me. I love you, I do, and I want to...be a family, but....."

"Hush!" she exclaimed, putting her finger to his lips. "I want the baby. When I dozed back off, I dreamed of a baby. It felt so inevitable and when I woke up I just knew. But, I....." She trailed off, gesturing helplessly.

"You got scared."

"Still am." They shared a smile. He kissed her lips gently. As the Doctor pulled away she slid her hand to the back of his head and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. When they broke apart she murmured, "I love you. I want you and this child." She choked back a sob and placed her hand on her abdomen. "I never thought I'd want children. Ever. Not with Mickey and God forbid, never with Jimmy. And Mum and me had such a hard time of it alone."

"You won't be alone," he vowed. 

"I never thought it was something I could hope for with you, Doctor," she said, shaking her head incredulously. "I just keep thinking.....it's just inevitable. And so, so right." She took his hand and placed it atop her other hand, still resting on her abdomen. "Our baby. Inside me."

The Doctor's eyes welled up. He nodded, unable to speak. They sat together for a time, relishing the silence, breathing together. When he could, the Doctor spoke, voice gravelly. "Rose, I'm so glad...I met you. You've saved me over and over again and now....you're giving me the most precious gift."

Rose's eyes widened. "You're not the last anymore, are you?" Rose threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly. "My Doctor. You'll be able to feel the baby. You already can, yeah? I'm a little jealous."

"Who says you can't?" he challenged. You already do, to certain extent. And....may I?" He raised his hands. "Can I show you something? Bad Wolf changed you, Rose. As far as we know, it made it possible for me to get you pregnant. And if I'm right.....you won't be able to see what I can, but you'll get an impression....feel the baby. She's too young to really communicate, but you'll feel her presence."

"She?" Rose murmured with a smile.

"Just speculatin', me. Too soon to tell." He gave Rose a brilliant smile. "Now, if there's somethin' you don't want me to see, imagine it behind a door. Okay?"

Rose nodded, willing to let him enter her mind. He placed his hands on her temples, closing his eyes after hers fell shut. Rose concentrated, then gasped.

The Doctor knew what she saw. He saw it as well. Timelines woven together, gold and blue, flaring up with gold sparks where they met. The gold sparks were not unlike the light of the fireflies in the forest. They sparked and lengthened into a third thread of shining silver. He couldn't tell where the strands began and ended anymore. The timelines wove together and the Doctor could see no end to them.

"S' so beautiful," Rose breathed. "Doctor, could you see how they stretched on and on, silver and gold and blue? Was the silver the baby?"

Their eyes opened at the same time. The Doctor chose to answer her nonverbally, kissing her breathless. "Oh, my Rose," he gasped. "You saw that. They did indeed stretch on and on. Without end. I think you've changed, love."

"'Course I have, I'm pregnant. That's a big change," she stated, confused.

"I think....and I'm gonna have to run tests....Blimey, Rose, you saw exactly what I saw. If I'm right, and I think I am......."

"I think you need to finish a sentence!" Rose exclaimed.

The Doctor beamed at her. Once, he'd told her, with an identical joyful grin, that just this once, everyone lived. Maybe not just that only one time. Maybe, the thing he thought would kill her on the Game Station had saved her and him both. 

He needed to stop grinning like a loon and clue her in, he realized. "I think, Rose Tyler, that just possibly, I won't have to lose you. See, Rose, your timeline....it could have been long enough but eventually I'd be able to see an end. But I couldn't. It was tied to mine. And it went on. We go on. Together. You and me, together. I couldn't see it before, right after the Game Station, but I dunno, maybe the pregnancy helped. I'll have to run tests."

"Okay, I understand....maybe....do our life spans match up now? Is that what you're sayin'?" 

The Doctor nodded, grinning manically again. Their life spans had been a sticking point for him for so long. He couldn't have wished for better news.

"Brilliant Rose!" he praised. "There may be some other physiological changes, too, makin' you closer to a Gallefreyan, but I have to run tests, o' course."

Rose responded by flopping onto her back on the grass, staring up at the stars, shocked. His grin faded. "Rose? What's wrong?"

"My head's spinnin'. S' a lot to take in. I'm gonna be a mum. And now you're telling me we get to keep each other. Always. Forever." 

"And it's..." He trailed off, wanting to hear her answer. He needed to hear it. His mind whirled, wondering if she did want to be tied to him forever in that way. If he hadn't damned her to an existence she didn't want. His respiratory bypass kicked in. He didn't notice. 

"It's fantastic," Rose smiled. She grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him down to her, wrapping herself around him, capturing his lower lip between her own. He groaned his gratitude, the sound loud in the silence of the night.

They celebrated in the dark cool forest as the fireflies flitted around them, the only witness to their joy. 

There would be tests to take and plans to work out later, but for now the pair of them reveled in their love.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose marveled that this was her life. This man, this child and all of time and space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the sweet family fluff.

Almost three (linear) years later.....

The TARDIS materialized by a familiar brook at twilight. The sky was purple and the first fireflies of the night were beginning to show off as the door opened and Rose stepped out. "D'ya think Anna needs the pink jumper?" the Doctor called from inside.

"It's warm, Doctor, I don't think she does," Rose answered.

"I'm gettin it. Where'd it go?" 

Rose rolled her eyes. "On the jumpseat," she sighed, resigned. He was very overprotective. Whenever she complained he always said he had earned the right. Anna never really was bothered by the cold and Rose's own physiology, changed by Bad Wolf and pregnancy, rarely was affected either. But the Doctor's precious girls were protected. He always saw to it. 

Rose stopped to look around.  
They had decided on the spur of the moment to take their daughter to the brook where so many of their life changes had been revealed to them. It was an important place to them. Even after all the years of traveling that had come before, Rose had come to think of this forest is the place where they discovered their life together could really begin.

So many things changed. She was pregnant for eleven months. They travelled (very carefully) for eight of them, then took to the slow path until after Anna Charlotte was born. They lived in the TARDIS, parked in Rose's room on the estate, and there she watched her Doctor embrace domestics with a passion.

"Believe it or not, I can adapt," he had informed her when she was doubtful he could manage it all, "For your information, Rose Tyler, I started doing domestics the day you moved your tea mug in and put that ridiculous tea cosy your mum knitted in my galley." 

His relationship with her mum was also better than she had ever expected. Following the Tyler Slap for getting her daughter up the duff, the Doctor had managed, with his no-nonsense earnestness, to assure Jackie that he was more than ready to be the father their child deserved.

They also had to break the news that he was the husband as well, as they had bonded later on that first night by the brook. Jackie, in shock, didn't seem to have any slaps left in her, and Rose could see that the Doctor was grateful for that.

They'd had a legally binding ceremony on Earth as well, and that had appeased her. Jackie liked to have a go at her 905 year old son-in-law, but she loved him as if he was her own. 

The Doctor had been relieved when their girl had been born with her mum's nose and ears, but her eyes were his piercing blue-gray. She had curly strawberry blonde hair, which delighted the Doctor to no end. "She's practically ginger!" he had exclaimed. It had brought tears to Jackie's eyes. Anna's hair color reminded her of Pete's. 

The TARDIS communicated pure joy to them when Anna was born in the infirmary. She watched over her Thief and her mother Wolf and their child with all the protection she could give. Rose felt the constant hum of the TARDIS in her head, always reassuring, sending her waves of love. Rose didn't doubt that the heart of the TARDIS had made all this possible, and she loved the time ship as much as she loved her husband and daughter. The TARDIS was family.

The Doctor and Rose never had to baby-proof the ship. Anna couldn't have been safer. The TARDIS even favored Jackie with a guest room of her own. Rose was proud of the Doctor's new-found ability to keep his opinion to himself about that. 

As for Mickey, he was coming around. It was hard to resist Anna's charms.  
It didn't hurt that a young medical student named Martha had needed him to repair her car and they had ended up dating. 

Jack had even made a reappearance in their lives, taking on the role of enthusiastic uncle. Rose had felt terribly guilty and sorry for the immortality she'd granted him. Jack told her it gave them all the opportunity to have each other as family, for a very long time.

Rose hadn't revealed the truth about her enhanced life span to anyone other than Jack. Rose reckoned that they would break that news in time. The Doctor didn't push it, but he hoped that she would open up to her mother eventually. She'd have to, Rose knew. She wasn't going to age.

But other than her anxiety over her mum's reaction, life was good. They helped wherever they could, but mostly they traveled. 

They promised Jackie they'd always be careful with their timing. She feared they'd leave one afternoon with an infant and return with a sixteen year old and she'd have missed it all. Jackie needn't have worried. They made sure Jackie would see her beautiful granddaughter growing up. 

And Anna was indeed growing up, more brilliant every day. Time was moving too quickly for Rose's liking. At the same time she wished she could keep her baby little forever, she loved watching her grow. Anna was two, and very inquisitive. Her curiosity reminded Rose of her Doctor's wonder and love of all life. Rose knew she'd adore the fireflies.

"Doctor, the fireflies are gonna be gone by the time you get out here! It'll be mornin'!"

The Doctor grumbled loud enough so Rose was sure to overhear, "Mummy thinks I'm being slow and I'm just bein' careful, right, Anna Banana?"

Rose chuckled. She'd long suspected he'd chosen the name Anna so he could rhyme it with his favorite fruit. 

At long last he finally stepped out, Anna in his arms. She was indeed wearing the pink cardigan. 

"Bugs, Daddy!" Anna gasped, a chubby finger pointing at the flashing lights hovering around her.

"Fireflies," the Doctor instructed cheerily.

"Fi-flies," she repeated. Anna was in awe as her father extended a hand and a small bug landed on it, lighting up. Anna started to reach for it.

"Gentle, sweetie, just look for a minute. He's blinkin' out a message to a girl firefly he loves. Wants her to meet him at the third pine tree on the left," he quipped, directing a wink at Rose, who snickered.

"You speak firefly now?" She gave him the tongue touched grin he loved. "Apparently, Time Lords are not immune to dad jokes."

The Doctor shrugged. "I'm a dad."

That he was. From the moment Anna grasped her teary-eyed father's finger moment after birth, to his patience with her foot-stomping tantrums, the Doctor was amazing. Rose and Anna were precious to him and he showed them every day how much he loved them.

"Here, Anna Banana, stretch out your hand and hold real still," he murmured. Anna tried to comply, although her excited toddler energy fairly vibrated through her tiny hand. Finally one very brave firefly landed on her palm and she sucked in a breath. 

She started giggling, wrinkling her nose. "Bug tickles!" Her parents' laughter joined hers.

He put her down and they were throughly entertained by Anna, chasing fireflies as the twilight deepened into dark. 

Eventually Anna started to yawn, so Rose spread a large blanket on the ground. The three of them lay on it, staring up at the stars above their heads. She'd seen nebulas in space and stars being born but Rose never tired of stargazing on Earth with her husband and daughter. 

"That's Cassiopeia, see? Look, that star, and that one there...and this over there.....see the shape?" The Doctor pointed out the shape in the sky. 

"Cassie," Anna yawned. She pointed her finger and tried to imitate the shape he traced, connecting the stars in the sky. Anna's eyes were heavy and she soon tired of connecting the dots. She snuggled into her daddy's coat and soon her breaths evened out.

The Doctor wrapped a protective arm around Anna. "I love you," he murmured. "Both my precious girls."

She kissed him over Anna, sound asleep, clutching his coat in a tiny fist. "And we love you," she whispered, caressing his face. 

The fireflies darted around them, lighting up the night. Rose marveled that this was her life. This man, this child and all of time and space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me want to expand on the story, even as I was determined that it would be no longer than 2 chapters. I may turn it into a 'verse, maybe expanding on some of the ideas in the second chapter. In particular I want to explore Jackie's reaction to Rose's extended life span. We'll see where the prompts and my ideas take me, and if anyone has a request, drop it in my tumblr ask box. I think there's more to tell here.

**Author's Note:**

> The second chapter is being edited and will be posted soon. This was supposed to be a one-shot but the first chapter went a bit longer (Bad Wolf made me do it) so I split it.


End file.
